


Lost in Darkness

by DeltaPhazon



Series: Connected Hearts [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brother-Sister Relationships, Loss, Referenced Final Fantasy characters, Referenced Riku, Referenced Sora's Dad, Tags Are Hard, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23464966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeltaPhazon/pseuds/DeltaPhazon
Summary: Aura never did believe her brothers wild imagination of other worlds. Stories of him meeting people in armour on the Vacant Island when he was young was something that she rolled her eyes at. Just another excuse, or so she told herself. Then the islands were attacked. And everything Sora had told her started to seem a lot more believable.Or my take on a "Sora has a sister" story.
Relationships: Aqua (Kingdom Hearts) & Original Character(s), Sora (Kingdom Hearts) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Connected Hearts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688008
Kudos: 7





	1. Aura

“Sora!” Sora groaned at his name being called, turning over in his bed. She got closer “ Sora!” Again, he didn’t react. With a groan, she kicked his bed. This woke him up.

“ Ugh…”

“ Honestly. You’re hopeless.”

“ Sis..?” He murmured. 

“ Good morning, sleepy head.” Aura smiled before looking at him more seriously. “ Up. Now.”

“ Why..?”

“ Oh my god.” She shook her head. “ Don’t you remember? You asked? You were supposed to meet Riku and Kairi at 11 on that vacant Island you like so much? Balthier was gonna take you over?” 

“ Oh?” Sora suddenly shot up. “Oh! Today’s the day!” He jumped out of bed, almost knocking his sister over. “ Sorry. I have to get ready. Can you get out of my room?”

“ Mom just sent me to wake you up, dolt.” Aura shook her head, leaving the room as Sora bounded around, trying to put on a shirt picked from where he haphazardly threw it off the night before. Aura went to go down stairs but stopped to look in the mirror and the top of the staircase. Unlike her younger brother, Aura had dark blue, bordering on black hair, tied back into a ponytail. Her fringe, however, she left free, covering the left of her blue eyes and part of her face. She wore a black jacket over a red top and grey skirt, black leggings and white slip on shoes. Nothing complicated. Aura didn’t like complicated. Too messy.

“ He’s up I assume.” Her mother said when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Aura peered into the kitchen. Her mother had her back turned to her, working on the families breakfast. Her father was already away to work. Aura and Sora’s father was a hard worker who traveled around between the villages and towns scattered across the Destiny Islands. He left early in the morning, usually before she got up, and came back late in the day if he wasn’t too far away.

“ Yeah. He’ll likely try running for the door though.” Aura practically fell into her seat at the kitchen table as her mother served her breakfast. “ Where does he get that energy? You or dad?”

“ Well, I was quite the wildfire in my youth.” Her mother sighed. “ Oh, those were the days.”

“ Ugh. Don’t start reminiscing on me, Mom.” Aura whined. 

“ Sorry. Sorry.” The two were introduced by loud and quick thuds coming down the stairs. “Not coming to get your breakfast, Sora.”

“ Ah!” Sora entered the kitchen, one shoe already half tied. “ Sorry. I’m just excited.”

“ Hopeless as ever.”

“ Hey.”

“ Now now, you two. I’m sure you both have exciting days ahead of you.”

“ You know it.”

“ Little brother, the last time you were this excited, you came back with a broken arm.” Aura reminded Sora. “ What was it again? Another play fight with Riku getting out of hand? You missed a jump somewhere and fell? Mom nearly had a heart attack when Fran dropped you back off. Still grinning like an idiot mind you.”

“ That’s not gonna happen.”

“ It had better not.” Their mother stated. The two finished their Bacon and Eggs quickly after this before both heading to the door. Sora was quick to run off but Aura stayed for a bit longer. “ Do you have to do this?” Her mother asked.

“ I want to do this. Dad says that’s even better.” She felt her Mother eyes on her back as she hoisted her quiver onto her back and picked up her bow. Aura was training to become a member of the town guard. She had begun lessons training under Captain Jecht alongside her good friend Claire. Her mother had been against the idea, but Aura found it a good way to blow off stress. So, every weekend, while Sora met up with his friends and either rowed or bugged one of the ship captains to sail him and his friends over to a certain uninhabited Island, Aura trained to be a member of the guard. She was 16, so she wouldn’t be joining full time and she had no real intentions to ever do so. Granted, she didn’t know what she wanted to be and guarding a sleepy village from the odd pirate attack would be easy money but Aura wanted more out of her life. “ I’m off.” Her mother sighed.

“ Fine. Just. Be careful.”

“ I will.” Aura stepped out of the door.

“ And give Claire my regards.”

“ I will.”

**************

“ Phew. Done.” Aura wiped her brow and collapsed on the sand, letting her bow fall freely. “ That was a hell of a work out.”

“ I’m surprised you two lasted so long.” Her teacher, Captain Jecht, told her and her friend, burying his sword in the sand. Claire simply sat down. “ The other babies quit a long time ago.”

“ I was just trying to keep up with Claire.”

“ You don’t have to keep this up just because I’m here you know.” Claire told her.

“ I know. But it’s so boring around here otherwise. The job boards are almost always empty. What else is a girl to do but shoot some poorly drawn monsters?” 

“ Hey!” Jecht yelled, sounding offended. “ My art ain’t that bad.”

“ I thought Tidus drew them.” Claire said.

“ Oh come on. That’s just insulting.” Jecht rubbed his nose. “ That brat’s to busy gettin beaten black and blue by Sora and Riku to even care about art anyhow.”

“ He’s over on the island too, I take it?” Aura asked. Jecht simply nodded. “ Heh. Figures.”

“ We spent a lot of time over there as well.” Claire reminded her.

“ Yeah. With Snow, Balthier, Fran and Ramza. Sazh took us over and we stayed from dawn til dusk. Those were the days.” Aura laid down and watched the clouds, now orange in the setting sun. “ I’m surprised your sister doesn’t join them.”

“ Serah’s too busy gawking at Snow to care.” Claire said harshly.

“ Come on. Snow’s harmless.”

“ He’s also an idiot.”

“ Not denying that.”

“ You kids are starting sound like us old people.” Jecht said, laughing. “ Still, Vaan’s off sailing around with those two trouble makers. Penelo goes with to make sure he stays out of trouble. Reks gets as worried as you do about Serah, Lightning.” Claire huffed at Jecht’s nickname for her. Lightning. Named for her fast at relentless sword style. It wasn’t a name Claire enjoyed but every member of the home guard had a call sign. Jecht’s was “Aeon”. Aura’s was “Pulsar”. Claire admitted, for a callsign, “Lightning” wasn’t bad. “ Tidus is over at that Island with Selphie and Wakka. If that kid comes back crying again…” Jecht shook his head.

“ You worry about him, don’t you?” Aura asked. Jecht clicked his tongue. Aura smiled. The captain was many things. Fighter. Sports star. Good at showing his more tender emotions wasn’t something he was however. His wife was more caring but Aura knew Tidus wasn’t fond of his father. Jecht knew too. But, they were family. She knew they’d stick by each other in the end.

“ Reminds me. I better go pick him up at the docks. Ya coming, Pulsar?”

“ Nope. Sora’s a big boy. His legs work just fine. As long as he didn’t break one.”

“ Fine by me. I’ll head off. Later, ladies.” Jecht grabbed his sword and slung it over his shoulder before walking off down the beach and towards the docks. With a groan, Aura lifted her self off the ground, dusting the sand off her clothes and hair.

“ So. You heading off?”

“ Soon. Mom doesn’t like us being out after dark.”

“ I’m the same with Serah. She just cares about your safety.”

“ Yeah. I know. But Sora always stays out past the times he’s meant too. Always up to me to pick him up and listen to him test excuses.” Aura picked up her bow and walked over to her quiver before picking it up as well and putting it on. “ Ugh. I just remembered one of Sora’s old excuses to why he came home one late one evening.”

“ Huh?”

“ He claimed he met some strange people in armour. Used that excuse three days in a row.”

“ Heh. Seriously.”

“ Yep. Eight years ago I think it was. He was six. We chalked it up to his childish imagination and him not wanting to get scolded. Sazh apologised a few days later when asked. Something about rough seas making them get home late.” Aura shook her head. “ Heh. Wonder what his excuse today will be. He’ll probably just go play in the park after getting back for a bit with Vaan and the others. Play blitzball or whatever.”

“ If I see him, I’ll make sure to send him home.”

“ Thanks, Claire. I appreciate it.” Aura sighed, rolling her shoulder. “ Well, I’m gonna go home and take a bath. See you tomorrow?”

“ Shopping?”

“ I know it’s not your thing, but I just have to show you a few new things. Miss Beatrix has some new things in stock.”

“ I guess I can try. If it makes you happy.” Claire said, sounding less than enthused. “ But then we’re going to the arcade.”

“ Alright. Alright. Later, Claire.” Aura waved before heading home.

********************

“ Sora. Dinner.” Her mother called up the stairs for the third time. “ Sora?” She looked over at Aura.

“ Aura, honey. Can you go get him?”

“ I’ll get the dolt.” Aura kicked off her seat. 

“ I wish you’d be nicer to your brother.”

“ I love him really. He’s just an annoying brat.”

“ I know you do.” Aura disappeared upstairs.

“ Alright, you dolt. I know you heard mom. Now come on and…” Aura trailed off. Sora’s room was empty. The window was open. The storm howled through it. Aura’s heart dropped as she ran down stairs. “Sora’s not in his room!” She said, panicked.

“ What?!”

“ His window’s open. I think he left the house.”

“ On a night like this?”

“ I’m going to go find him.” Aura grabbed her bow and quiver, filling it full of arrows. “ Stay here in case he comes back.”

“ But Aura-”

“ Please Mom. I can handle myself.” Her mother sighed.

“ Just. Bring him back.”

“ I will. I promise.” Aura threw on her grey raincoat and ran out into the rain and the wind. She ran down to the docks only to find thee of the row boats were missing. And one of them was half way to the vacant island. “ Sora.”

“ AURA!” She heard shouting. She looked over to see Claire and Jecht running down the beach. “ What are you doing out here?”

“ Sora’s run off.”

“ That brat too?” Jecht growled. “ Leon and Quistis called something in. Riku and Kairi have gone missing as well.” Aura growled. Leon was Riku’s father, an old friend of her parents. While his wife had died in childbirth, the man had done his best looking after his son alone. Quistis was the head of the local orphanage as well as a teacher. After Kairi had mysteriously ended up on the islands years ago, Quistis had taken her in like she had with a number of others. Aura looked back over at the island, the boat Sora was in almost at the shore. 

“ Them too? Seriously? Damn it. What are those brats think-” Aura’s thought process was interrupted by distant screaming. “ What was that? Ah! Eyes up!” Suddenly, the trio was ambushed. Black shadows appeared out of the ground, surrounding them. They were small, looking almost bug like, and were pitch black like living shadows with eery golden eyes. “ What the heck are those?”

“ Unknown hostiles.” Jecht gritted his teeth.

“ What’s our goal?”

“ We have to make sure those kids get to safety.” Jecht looked back at Aura. “ Aura. Take the last boat and head over there. Get them to safety.”

“ What about you?”

“ I’ve fought worse.” Jecht smirked. “ Go with her, Claire.” The other woman shook her head, drawing her sword.

“ I’ve been trained for this. I trust Aura.”

“ If you say so.”

“ Are you sure you two will be alright? We don’t know what these things can do?”

“ Worry about your brother. Let us worry about these monsters.” Jecht slashed his sword at the ground where one was a second ago. 

“ Go.” Claire looked back at her. Aura closed her eyes and nodded, climbing into one of the rowboats and quickly moving after Sora to the vacated island. She tried to ignore as the sounds of fighting from her island slowly got quieter far quicker than she should have been able to get out of ear shot. Instead, she simply kept rowing.

It didn’t take too long to reach the vacated Island. Though, through some sort of optical illusion, the main Island she came from seemed to disappear into the waves when she reached it’s shores, it was only a relatively short distance away. On some days, you could walk across, wading through the sea, though you had to swim for a brief portion. Five minutes after leaving, Aura arrived at the docks of the vacated Island. She was immediately met by the shadowy monsters. “ Again?” She drew an arrow and tried to shoot one only for the arrow to pass through it. “ What?” She tried again and still nothing. She took a step back. A sudden gale of wind pushed her even further. A large boom echoed across the sky. Aura looked up and gasped. A large black orb had begun to fall on the Island. “No…”

Suddenly the earth shook and the ground opened up as cracks of darkness. The seas opened up, falling into the cracks in the world and the darkness within. Aura leapt off the docks and onto the beach. “Sora!” She yelled panicked. More shadowy creatures rose up around her. She fired more arrows in a desperate attempt to stave them off. The arrows seemed to have no effect. Soon, she was out of those two. Defenceless and alone against some eldritch threat, she continued backing up. Then the ground shook again. Cracks opened up beneath her. “NO!!!!” She cried before falling into darkness.

********************

She didn’t know how long she had been falling through darkness. Could have been seconds or centuries. She clutched onto her bow as she fell, eyes closed. 

“ Are you willing to give up?” A voice asked her. It was female. Warm and guiding.

“ Where… am I?”

“ Darkness. Nothingness. All that is left and all that there ever was.”

“ Who are you?”

“ My name is of no importance.” The voice told her. “ I am relic of a time long gone. But I ask you again. Will you give up your mind and body to the darkness? Will you let everything you love get swept away by the tide?”

“ No.”

“ Then call to the light. It will guide your way.”

“ The… light?” Aura felt a strange weight in her quiver. She swore she was out of arrows. “Maybe… one more… well help.” She drew the arrow and drew back her bow. An arrow of light streaked out upwards, cutting through the dark before exploding in a flash. Aura didn’t have time to cover her eyes.

*****************

“ ...d?” A distance voice was calling to her.

“ ...o. S…. reath…. qua.” A second answered the first.

“ ...ow di…. ve?”

“ It’s a…. ry.” Aura groaned lightly. Her eyes started forcing themselves open. 

“ Who…?” She murmured. As she opened her eyes, she noticed to figures looking down at her. One was a large, humanoid mouse. The other was a woman with blue hair, a few shades lighter than her own. Both were carrying strange, key shaped swords. She was in some sort of cavern, rocks cracked with purple creating a sort of eerie glow into the area. “ Where…?”  
“ Easy.” The woman said slowly. “ You’re alright.”

“ Who… are you?”

“ My name is Aqua. This is Mickey. We’re friends. Don’t worry.” The woman, Aqua, offered Aura a hand. Aura took it. She staggered as she got to he feet, threatening to fall again. Aqua caught her.

“ Thanks.” Aura said, sheepishly smiling. “ I’m… Aura. Where is…” Memories came flooding back to her. And with the memories, came panic. “ AH!” She screamed. Aqua and Mickey looked in surprise.

“ Aura! Are you alright?”

“ W-Where am I?” Aura looked around frantically. “ This isn’t… Where are the Islands? What happened?”

“ Breath, Aura. Breath.” Aqua tried calming her down. Aura tried taking her advice. 

“ What happened to my Home? The Islands? Sora?” She tried asking again. Aqua shook her head. “ There was this dark orb. It looked like it was crashing down. Then the earth opened up beneath me and I fell and… Where am I now?”

“ You’re in a place known as the Realm of Darkness.” The mouse, Mickey, told her. “ I don’t know how ya managed it though. Not many normal folk can survive the journey without losing their heart.”

“ There was this voice…” Aura muttered. “ And… an arrow of light in my quiver.” Aura felt for her bow. She looked down, seeing her trusty wooden weapon on the stone floor. She picked it up and held it close to her. “ I think… I was rescued. But why was I brought here? And where is here?” Aura was starting to panic again.

“ I’m afraid I can’t answer that.” Aqua told her. She put a hand on Aura’s shoulder and looked her in the eye. “ This place is dangerous but don’t worry. We’ll make sure to keep you safe until we can get you out.”

“ Aqua’s right.” Mickey gave Aura a kind smile. “ You can trust us, Aura.”

“ R-Right.” Aura nodded. She began to start breathing slowly, trying to calm herself down. “ OK. Sorry. It’s just… a lot to take in.” Aura took another slow look around. “ So. This is… another world?”

“ Yes. It is.” Aqua told her. “ In a sense.”

“ My brother always believed that there were other worlds. He used to talk about people in strange clothes who came to the island. He and Riku told the same story but everyone just assumed it was a game. No-one believed them.” Aura walked slowly over to one of the stones spikes jutting out of the abyss below them and ran a hand over it. “ Even when Kairi showed up out of no-where, everyone just thought some dead beat sailor dropped her off to be rid off her. It wouldn’t have been the first time. That her story about being from some garden in another world was a dream. Sora and Riku believed her. Wanted to head off and take her home. But that’s how kids are, y’know? Full of imagination.”

“ Kairi?” Aqua furrowed her brow. “ Wait, did you just say-”

“ Aqua!” Mickey cried out. Looking over to him, the two looked over at the mouse only to see a large number of the same shadowy bug creatures Aura had seen earlier. The archer gasped, pressing her back against the stone. 

“ No. Not here too…”

“ Stay here. We’ll handle.”

“ What? But these things…”

“ Trust us.” Aqua smiled at her before turning back. Aura watched in silent awe as Aqua and Mickey got to work, blitzing through the shadows with swordplay and magic, blowing the monsters away. 

“ Woah…” She gasped. Aura was entranced. She almost didn’t notice one of the monsters ambushing her from behind. Almost. She noticed it just before it struck. She screamed, stumbling back. Instinctively, she felt for an arrow. She grasped at it’s shaft. She pulled it back and fired. Light streaked through the sky, striking the shadowy bug and exploded, sending a pulse of radiance outwards, trapping and eradicating the shadow’s allies in the ambush party.

“ Aura!” Aqua and Mickey ran over to her. “ What was that?”

“ I…” Aura swallowed, shocked. Her hands were shaking. “ I don’t know.” She looked at her bow and felt the empty air that filled her quiver. She had no arrows. She used them all on the island back before she fell. So why did she feel something there? What had she shot. “ It was like before. That voice…” Aura staggered forwards. She grabbed her head and groaned.

“ Are you alright?” Aqua asked.

“ Just a bit...” Aura suddenly felt faint. Her legs failed her. She didn’t even feel herself dropping.


	2. Dark World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aura gets help and training from her new allies.

When she woke up next, she was back on a beach. For a few moments, she thought it all had been a bad dream. She caught a fever due to the storm and imagined herself in a dark world with a mouse man and a knightly woman. Then she sat up, saw the dark waves lapping upon the shores and the shadowy clouds above and realised it was all real. “ Oh. You’re awake.” Aura looked over to see Mickey sitting on a rock nearby. Beside him was Aura’s bow, packed neatly away inside her quiver. “ Are you feeling alright?”

“ I...think so. What happened?”

“ You collapsed suddenly so Aqua and I brought ya here.” Mickey looked around. “ Dunno where here is, but the Heartless seem almost scared of this place. They don’t enter it much. It’s a bit of a safe zone.” 

“ And… Miss Aqua?”

“ She went off to see if she could find some supplies. Can’t live off fresh air and happy thoughts forever. Ha ha.”

“ Yeah. Right.” Aura walked over to the rocks. She picked up her quiver, took out her bow and looked it over.

“ So. You really don’t know how you managed what you did?”

“ No. I was panicked and instinct took over.” Aura put her Quiver back on, clipping it to herself. “ I went for an arrow and when I did…”   
“ You drew that light arrow?” Aura nodded. “ Hmm. Odd. Gosh, if only my teacher was here. I’m sure he’d know what this was.” The two sat and talked for a while, waiting for Aqua to return. Aura told Mickey about her family. Her loving, stay at home Mom. Her hard working Dad who was always there when she needed someone to talk to, no matter how tired he may have been. And finally her goofy dolt of a brother, Sora, a boy far too kind for his own good yet always seemed to have his head on another planet. And he, in return, told her his story. That he was a king of another world and a master of an ancient sword known as a keyblade, dedicated to fight the darkness where-ever it may emerge. That he went off on a mission to stop the spread of the shadowy bugs he called the Heartless from destroying worlds like they did to Aura’s own. And to do so, he was trying to find a Keyblade in the Realm of Darkness and, combined with a keyblade from a wielder in the Realm of Light, close a door between the realms, stopping the flood of Heartless. Of course, due to all known keyblade wielders vanishing in an incident Aqua and he were involved with eight years prior, there was no known keyblade wielders in the world they had come from

“ I hope Donald and Goofy managed to find them. I know they’re out there somewhere.”

“ Don’t worry. I’m sure they will.” Aura reassured the mouse. “ But, you said you’re a king? Should I be more polite then?”

“ No. It’s fine. I don’t like people feeling on edge around me just because of a silly thing like a title.”

“ Ok. Good.” Aura breathed a sigh of relief. “ I dunno how to be all stuffy and, er, stuff.”

“ Your Majesty. Aura.” The two turned to see Aqua returning. She dropped a small bag of supplies down on the beach. “ Sorry. I had to go all the way back to Cinderella’s world to get these. The town’s vacated but there are a few supplies left. Less since I got here.” Aqua remained standing, folding her arms and looking at the two. “ So. What were you talking about?”   
“ Just getting to know each other.” Mickey said.

“ Yeah. Mickey was just telling me he was a King in his world. All the stories I’ve got is about my stupid brother breaking his leg or arm every know and again trying to beat Riku.”

“ Those names sound somewhat familiar. Which reminds me. Did you mention a ‘Kairi’ earlier?”

“ Hmm. Yeah? Why?” Aqua looked at Aura for a minute before shaking her head.

“ I can’t possibly be the same person. It’s nothing. Anyway, about that arrow of light.”

“ I already asked, Aqua. She doesn’t know how she did it.” Mickey told Aqua.

“ I see. Strange.” Aqua brought a hand up to her chin. “ Master Eraqus said it was possible that certain people had a natural ability for magic that they could tap into even without a magical medium like a staff or a keyblade.”

“ Could my bow be one of these mediums?”

“ Hmm. I’m not sure. I always assumed it had to be in some way related to magic. At the very least, I can’t pick up a stick or a hammer and start using it to cast Thundaga.” Aqua leant back. “ I never thought about this since I always had a Keyblade in Master Eraqus’ lessons.”

“ So. What’s the situation out there like, Aqua?” Mickey asked.

“ The Heartless seem to be heading through that craggy area we found Aura in. If the door you came here for is anywhere, it’ll be in that direction.”

“ Then, I suppose we’ll have to check it out.” Mickey jumped up. 

“ I’ll come too. Aura, you should stay here. It’s not safe out there.”

“ Wait, but I…” The two looked at her. “Can you… help me learn how to use that ability?”

“ The arrows of light?”

“ Yes.” Aura fiddled with her bow string. “ I don’t like to feel useless. It’s one of the reasons I joined my town guard and learned how to use my bow in the first place. So, if this ability means I can help then…” Aura lowered her head. “ I know I’m being selfish. Ignore me and go.” Aqua looked back at Mickey. The mouse smiled and nodded.

“ I’ll be fine on my own for a scouting mission. Stay and help, Aqua.”

“ Thank you, Mickey.” Aqua smiled she then turned back to Aura. “ I’ll help you.”

“ Are you sure, Miss Aqua.” Aura asked, conflicted. “ I mean, it’s dangerous out there and-”

“ Don’t worry about me.” Mickey cut her off. “ I’m tougher than I look. I’ll try and assist as best I can later too. But first, I have my own mission.”

“ I…” Aura smiled and nodded. “ Thank you. Both of you.”

“ It’s not an issue. This is place is dangerous after all. I don’t mind teaching you to defend yourself.” Aqua summoned her keyblade and walked over to the beach proper. “ Now then. Shall we begin?”

***************

Over the next few days, Aura learned a lot. She attributed this to having two very good teachers. Both knew there way around magic, Aqua utilising it intermittently with her Keyblade swings and Mickey knowing it at very high tiers. Together, they were able to get their head around how Aura’s ability worked. 

She managed to summon them at will by the end of the first day. It was instinct that first brought them on. It took her a while, but she was able to replicate the feeling in her mind. The feeling of fear and desperation that summoned them. Aqua attacking her helped. She lessened the feeling bit by bit until she could summon them while calm. They didn’t stick around for long however.

The next day was Mickey’s turn. He was able to help her extend the life time of her arrows. It was enough to fire but it still petered out shortly afterwards. However, after testing it on some rocks, it still was enough to detonate if it struck an object. She didn’t know what it was or where it came from. She remembered Captain Jecht’s call sign he gave her. Pulsar. She decided to call the arrow Pulsar Arrows. She later found, when she tried at Mickey’s suggestion, she was able to stop the arrows from detonating. She decided to call the explosive arrows “Pulsar Arrow: Detonation” and the regular arrows “Pulsar Arrow: Ray”, but overall just referred to them generally as the Arrows of Light. She chuckled. “ Guess he’s not the only one with a childish nature.”

The third day the trio decided to start moving again. There was a sudden shift in atmosphere in the dark realm they were trapped in. It reminded Mickey of the urgency of his mission. Every now and again, as they passed through rocky paths and spires that Aura imagined came from a mountain exploding and being frozen in time, a number of the shadowy monsters, Heartless Aura reminded herself they were called, appeared. Sometimes they were the bug things Aura was used to. Other times they were different. Like living boulders or flying fire balls. Her first few battles were nerve wracking, but fighting moving targets, getting a feel for a battle field, helped her focus her powers. Her Detonation arrows were key tools to weaken a lot of enemies quickly, but they were far weaker than Aqua’s lightning or Mickey’s own holy based magic. By the time they stopped for they day, ducking into a nearby cavern, she felt stronger. Her arrows were more focused, flying almost as far as the real thing now and she was free to switch between her Pulsar arrows, which she found could pierce the Heartless, striking multiple at a time, or use her Detonation arrows the stun a crowd to allow Aqua an opening for a quick finish.

The fourth day, fifth since she had arrived in the Realm of Darkness, was their last. Apparently, time ticked by slower in the Realm of Darkness. She wondered how long these few days had been on the outside. As the trio kept moving through the darkness, fighting heartless after heartless, soon they came to a new area. They passed through what Aura thought was a canyon and arrived on another beach. Houses lined the area, abandoned by all but the darkness. In the distance was an island. Aura gasped. “ This is… my home.”

“ The Destiny Islands…” Aqua breathed.

“ You know it, Teacher?”

“ I was here once. A long time ago. I met a boy who wanted to protect his friend.” Aqua said simply. “ It was a place I heard about once from Master Eraqus. Apparently, his old friend grew up here.”

“ Master Xehanort.” Mickey said bitterly.

“ Right.” Aqua looked at Aura. She wasn't listening. She began walking down to the beach. Her two companions followed in silence. Eerily for the Realm of Darkness, not even Heartless appeared in the streets of the beach like world. Aura expected something. She looked at the park and expected to see Tidus and Wakka practising their Blitzball skills or Vaan planning another scheme while Penelo tried to stop him getting into too much a problem. She looked into some of the windows. She expected to get yelled at by Edward the local band star or by Strago for disturbing him while his son in law, Clyde, trying to calm him down, Clyde’s daughter Relm playing with Interceptor the dog in the front yard. She looked at the beach and expected to see Captain Jecht and Claire training and get an earful by the two for being late again. And yet, there was nothing. No children running home from school. No old man yelling at her for peering into his windows. No guard patrolling or training on the beach. No-one. She stopped outside her home briefly. She went for the door but stopped, turned and kept walking. She didn’t want to see inside. Or who wasn’t there.

Then she reached the dock. All of the boats were gone. She wasn’t surprised. She’d taken the last one that night. “Dammit.” Aura cursed through gritted teeth.

“ What’s the matter?” Aqua asked. Aura pointed at the Vacant Island.

“ That was where me and Sora and Sora’s friends vanished.” Aura explained. “There’s also this really weird door shape over there too. It might be what we’re looking for. Thing is, this is high tide. No way we can make it over without a ship. And all the rowboats are over on the Island already.”

“ A door!?” Mickey exclaimed.

“ Leave that to me.” Aqua walked over to the shore. She summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at the ocean. “Blizzaga.” A crystal of ice shot from the tip of her blade, sending a wave of ice across the water. The ocean froze. “ The Realm of Darkness works a bit differently from our own. A clock can rebuild a broken bridge or a mirror can become a portal to another place entirely.” Aqua looked back at Aura. “ Even the Ocean can freeze over with enough effort.”

“ You’re amazing, Teacher.” Aura smiled happily. 

“ There’s no time to waste.” Mickey told his two companions. The two nodded before joining the mouse in running across the frozen ocean to the island. Like her homeland before it, the Vacant Island was unchanged. It wasn’t until Aura led the two past the waterfall and into the hidden cave in the island that Aura saw something unusual. The hidden cave was far larger and darker. A golden glow emanated from above. And below, the cavern dipping deep into the earth before coming to a stop, was a large, silver and open door. “ The door! And that must be the key.” Mickey smiled. He wasted no time in getting to work. He leapt up with surprising agility up from platform to platform up to the gold. However, as he disappeared, a sudden rumbling could be heard.

“ What is that?” Aura asked, worried

“ Oh no…” Aqua muttered. A sudden cry from above was heard. Mickey fell down to the ground layer, a golden key in hand and without his jacket and shirt. Crashing down was a mass of darkness made of the bug like shadows. 

“ What?!”

“ It must be protecting the door. We have to… huh?” Aqua’s gaze fell from the shadows to a boy running down towards the door. “ A boy?”

“ Riku!” Aura yelled. “ He’s here too?!” The shadows shifted, circling in the air before it moving to attack Riku. “ No…”   
“ I won’t let you.” Aqua ran and leapt and the shadows, striking a glowing red orb in the mass. The mass lashed out, smashing its weight into Aqua, knocking her through the cave wall and pushing her out.

“ Aqua!” Mickey yelled.

“ No! Teacher!” Aura cried. “ What do we do?” She asked, frantically. Mickey looked between the door and the new hole in the cave. He looked at her.

“ That door is letting all the heartless in the world out. I have to lock it from in here. Keep them trapped. But Aqua…” Mickey looked conflicted. Aura nodded.

“ Then go.” She told him. “ I’ll help Teacher.”

“ What? But-”   
“ You and her have taught me well. It’s time I repay the favour.” Mickey looked between her and the door and sighed. 

“ FIne. Go.”

“ Thank you, Mickey. Good luck.” Aura turned and sprinted away before turning back to him and yelled back. “ AND HELP RIKU!”

Upon exiting the cave, Aura saw Aqua. She was struggling on the beach as the dark mass crashed down, threatening to overwhelm her. Aura slid across the sand. “ I have to protect her.” She breathed and took aim. “Teacher! Eyes up!” She warned. Aqua looked up in surprise before moving. Aura charged up an arrow of light and fired it at the Heartless swarm as it was about to crash down on Aqua from above. Instead of exploding into a pulse of light however, it exploded and held strong, forming a bubble like barrier between the swarm and Aqua, stopping it in its tracks. Aura stopped for a moment, wondering if her will to protect changed the properties of the arrows before shaking the thought from her head and running down to join Aqua.

“ Aura?” She exclaimed, surprised. “ What are you here?”

“ Mickey is locking the door. I decided to stay and help.”

“ But. You may not be able to make it out.”

“ I’d rather make sure we all live rather than escape. They’ll be another chance.” Aura loaded her bow with another arrow. “ But first, we have to make sure this thing can’t get back in there. Please. Let me help. I’m not scared anymore. I will protect my friends.” Aqua looked at her and nodded. She got into a combat stance, looking at the swarm of heartless over head.

“ Let’s win.” The fight against the Heartless Tide was long and brutal. Aqua and Aura both took heavy damage but were able to keep themselves from being overwhelmed. Aura was able to reproduce her Barrier arrows, buying the two some extra seconds to keep themselves in the fight. Eventually, Aqua separated the core from the Shadows with a well placed Firaga and Aura ended it, blasting it to kingdom come with one of her Detonation arrows. The fight won, the two fighters collapsed into the sands.

“ That was… not fun.” Aura said, gasping for breath.

“ These battles… never are.” Aqua told her.

“ Did we… buy enough time?” As if to answer Aura’s query, a bright light shone from secret cave. The two watched it glow. As it faded, Aura smiled. “ I guess so.” Aura looked around. The sand on her island was glistening. It took Aura a while to realise it wasn’t just the sand. The frozen sea. The palm trees. Even her own body. It was all glowing with light. “ W-What’s happening?”

“ The world’s are being reset.” Aqua explained. Aura noted that she was the only thing not glowing. “ You’re going home, Aura.”

“ But what about you?” Aqua shook her head, smiling sadly. 

“ I’ll find my way out here. I know it. And if not… well, I’m sure Mickey and his allies will come find me. I know there are people waiting for me. All I have to do is keep fighting.” Slowly, Aura nodded. She wanted to retort, but she realised it would be useless. She wasn’t going to waste what short moment she had left complaining.

“ Then. When you get out of this place. Come by the Islands, would you?” Aura smiled. “ We can catch up over coffee.”   
“ It’s a deal.” Aqua smiled as everything faded to white. “ I’ll see you around, Aura.”

“ Goodbye, Teacher.”

*******************

Aura could have mistaken it for a dream. She woke up on the Vacant Island. A number of arrows were still stuck in the sand from where she had left them. She noticed that, beside her, Kairi was also sleeping. Aura fell back down. She remembered it all. King Mickey. The Dark World. Aqua. The Arrows of Light. The Heartless. All five days she was there were etched in her mind. And yet, now she was here. Maybe she was hit by a paopu fruit blown off in the storm and knocked unconscious. All these dreams of monsters and shadows. Maybe they were just a nightmare. And yet, she focused and looked at her hand. It was faint due to lack of energy on her behalf, but a light flickered in her palm. It wasn’t a dream. She eventually sat up. “ Kairi.” She asked. The young girl groaned. She shook her shoulder a bit. “ Hey. Kai. Are you alright?”

“ Sora. Don’t… go…” She murmured sleepily. Sora? Aura looked around. Where was her dolt of a brother? What happened to Riku? Did he make it out safely?

“ Kai? Kairi. Wake up.” She said once again. This time, Kairi stirred.

“ Huh? Au...ra? Did we… make it back?”

“ Yes. We’re back. We’re home.” She said. She wondered if Kairi had ended up somewhere else as well. She’d ask her later. Right now, she was home. Kairi was safe at least. She’d have to cross the sea to get home and see if the mainland was alright. If Claire and Captain Jecht was alright. If her Mom was alright. “ Kairi. Where’s Sora?”

“ Sora. He… sent me back but…” Kairi looked at Aura. “ I… don’t think he came home. He said something about… going to find Riku.”

“ I’ve got a feeling we’ve both got an interesting story to tell.” Aura smiled, crossing her legs in order to sit more comfortably. Kairi laughed, looking out to sea. 

“ Yeah. I guess we do.” Aura talked first. She told her story about being lost in another world with a mouse who was a king and a blue haired master of a strange shaped sword. She summoned an arrow of light fully, spinning it in her hands. She said how she saw Riku and, after a tough battle, she was returned home. Kairi in return told her story. Of her getting lost and her heart sealed away. Of Sora and Riku’s journey to rescue her even to the point of fighting. And of Sora risking himself to save all worlds from darkness before going off to find Riku. 

“ So. He’s really not here this time. Sora…” Aura’s shoulders dropped.

“ Aura. I’m sorry.”

“ Tch heh heh heh.” Aura chuckled, shaking her head. “ Usually I’d say it’s my job as a big sister to go grab that dolt and drag him home. But he’s ran off to another world. I can’t even do that.” Aura looked up, smiling. “ Well. Guess we’ll just have to wait for them to come home. Then we can yell at them all we want. Right, Kai?” The younger girl giggled slightly.

“ Right. Their gonna be in for it.”

“ Ha. You know it.”   
“ Heeeeey!” The two looked over at the sea. A boat was sailing towards them. Balthier’s boat by the looks of it. On the prow, waving was Tidus and Selphie. “ Guys!”

“ Tidus!” Kairi yelled. She got up off the sand and started waving her arms. A few minutes later, the ship stopped at the docks. Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Penelo and Vaan were over at the Paopu tree talking to Kairi. Aura met Captain Jecht and Claire. They asked what happened, but that was a far longer story than Aura wanted to tell and promised another time. Then she met her mother and the two hugged it out, Aura letting herself cry as she tried to explain Sora wasn’t with them. It was far harder for a different reason trying to tell Leon the same thing about Riku. The older man blamed himself for not being able to stop him, even as Aura tried reassuring him that she knew he’d come back someday. So would Sora. They sailed home as the sun set, returning to their recreated home. Aura looked at the stars from her bedroom that night and swore that if Sora didn’t make it back himself, she’d find a way to go get him. But until then, she’d protect their home from the Heartless should they try to take it from her again. Her brother needed a place to return too, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all there is for the first story in this three part series. This is my first time actually doing something like this, at least something like this I intended to publish, so feedback is appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to make Aura an archer because for some reason not a lot of Kingdom Hearts characters use bows. I mean, Xigbar uses one in like one attack in Kingdom Hearts 3, but that's not the same.


End file.
